Transforming Objective Quality Evidence (OQE) Management: How Secora's AI-Enhanced Work Instructions Reduce Waste and Drive Efficiency

by David Walter, Executive Director – Innovation & Strategy, Secora

In Defence (especially maritime), power generation, mining, and oil & gas, Objective Quality Evidence (OQE) overload has become an escalating cost burden. Simple maintenance jobs are inflated into hundreds of pages of documentation, with more time spent generating and reviewing OQE than performing the task itself.

At Secora, our experience shows that the problem doesn’t lie in OQE policies or definitions—it starts with poorly defined work instructions.

Misguided Attempts to Fix OQE Overload

Many organisations try to solve OQE overload by rationalising documentation through stricter policies, more compliance-driven contracts, and added administrative burden on staff. However, these efforts only increase confusion and frustration. Without addressing the root cause—vague, incomplete, or outdated work instructions—contractors continue to produce excessive or irrelevant OQE to avoid liability or meet payment requirements. Meanwhile, asset owners are overwhelmed by the unnecessary volumes of documentation they must review.

This creates a self-perpetuating cycle of documentation bloat, which adds cost without improving performance or safety. Below are some real-world examples of how this issue plays out—and how Secora’s approach can offer a solution.

Real-World Example #1: A 3-Day Job Turns Into 200 Pages of OQE

A power station engaged a contractor for a 3-day routine inspection of a critical component. The task involved simple cleaning, lubrication, and minor adjustments. However, the work instructions were absent—apart from a job title, there was no guidance on expected outcomes or required evidence.

The contractor, having previously performed the task, produced 200 pages of OQE to document every step and safeguard themselves from non-compliance. This included detailed descriptions of irrelevant processes and equipment components.

When the asset owner reviewed the documentation, the review process took longer than the maintenance itself. To meet assurance standards, the owner requested additional evidence, dragging the process out for weeks.

The result? Both parties spent unnecessary time and money on documentation without improving safety, reliability, or performance—and still lacked clarity on whether the required OQE had been delivered.

Real-World Example #2: OQE Inflation Delays a Navy Ship Repair

A routine valve replacement on a Navy ship should have taken only a few hours. However, outdated work instructions were reused from a prior job, which didn’t account for design changes in the valve or the necessary isolation steps.

Uncertain about what OQE was required, the contractors generated hundreds of photos, reports, and inspection logs. They also over-isolated several sections of the ship to avoid liability.

The Commonwealth representatives reviewing the OQE spent days combing through irrelevant photos (such as packaging materials), certificates for non-critical components, and redundant inspection reports. However, none of the OQE aligned with the task requirements or reflected the additional preparation work.

The confusion led to a full re-commissioning of multiple systems, with subsequent delays disrupting the fleet’s operational schedule. In the end, the ship’s crew was blamed for not reviewing the OQE quickly enough, even though the root cause was poor task definition.

The Secora Solution: AI-Enhanced Work Instructions at the Source

The above examples highlight the core problem: OQE overload is a symptom of poorly defined work instructions. At Secora, we solve this issue by focusing on clear, outcome-driven task definitions from the outset. Our approach ensures that tasks are fully pre-positioned with the right level of detail, so they don’t require personnel with corporate knowledge to interpret vague instructions.

Once the task requirements are clear, only relevant OQE is generated to validate the work. This eliminates the need for excessive reviews and unnecessary documentation.

We take this process further with our AI-powered tool, which consolidates multiple data sources, ensuring that work instructions are always current, precise, and compliant with operational, regulatory, and technical requirements.

What Makes Secora’s Approach Different?

Our AI-driven approach to work instructions, and by default OQE improvements, allows organisations to:

• Incorporate Previous Feedback: Lessons from past jobs are integrated, ensuring mistakes are not repeated.

• Stay Up-to-Date: Technical changes, budget adjustments, and material conditions are factored in.

• Reduce Expertise Burden: With AI doing the heavy lifting it does not draw excessively on the organisation’s most valuable expertise to undertake laborious work instruction writing.

• Ensure Regulatory Alignment: Tasks comply with current policies and standards.

• Optimise Evidence Requirements: Instructions clearly state only the essential OQE needed—no more, no less.

Real-World Example #3: A Mining Company Gets It Right with Secora

A mining company struggled with OQE overload for routine truck maintenance, resulting in lost productivity, higher contractor costs, and delayed repairs. Secora partnered with the company to analyse previous jobs, maintenance history, and equipment conditions using our AI-enhanced solution.

We developed precise work instructions that defined each task clearly and specified only the essential OQE. With this guidance, contractors stopped overproducing documentation, reducing the review process by 95%.

Additionally, our tool enabled work instructions to be rewritten and improved 40 times faster, ensuring continuous improvement became part of daily operations.

The result? The mining company cut documentation costs, increased maintenance efficiency, reduced downtime, and improved contractor relationships—without compromising safety or compliance.

Why Choose Secora?

Secora’s AI-enhanced work instructions eliminate guesswork, reduce OQE waste, and streamline processes. Whether you manage power stations, naval ships, or mining operations, our solution optimises asset performance by addressing the root cause of documentation overload.

With clear, concise, and actionable instructions, you can:

• Avoid OQE overload by aligning tasks with essential documentation.

• Accelerate review processes with focused, relevant evidence.

• Ensure compliance with changing standards, without unnecessary burden.

• Drive continuous improvement by integrating feedback and real-time data.
  

Ready to Eliminate OQE Waste? Let’s Talk

Are you tired of drowning in unnecessary documentation that adds cost and complexity without delivering value? Contact Secora today to explore how smarter work instructions can unlock efficiency and improve asset performance.

At Secora, we don’t just reduce documentation—we improve the performance of assets by solving the problem at its source. With our extensive experience across Defence, power generation, and mining, we know how to turn complex challenges into clear, actionable solutions.

Let’s start a conversation about how we can help you take control of your asset management process.